Helen McNaught-McFarlane may and her quirky grey Carnutelabryere are meant to be having a “learning year” but today took out the penultimate round of the Ultra•Mox FEI World Cup at the McMillan’s North Island Champs in Dannevirke.

For the Taupo based Brit, it is turning into a gem of a season. Today they headed home eight other combinations over a “very meaty” Kevin Hansen designed course to take the honours and the North Island Horse Grand Prix title to boot.

The first round saw clear rounds from the veterans – Katie Laurie (Mystery Creek) and Dunstan Lucca, in his World Cup début, and Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) aboard My Gollywog. McNaught-McFarlane and Carnutelabryere sat on four faults, along with Laurie aboard Dunstan Frangipanne de Toxandria and Jesse Linton (Hastings) on Strathcarron Zaurak.

“I had nothing to lose (in the second round),” said McNaught-McFarlane. “I had Katie and Maurie behind me and knew they weren’t going to hang around, so we had to move a little. Brian was jumping so well, I didn’t think he would take a rail.”

And she was right – they flew around, leaving everything in place in 52.4 seconds. Laurie came in for second aboard Frangipanne with four faults in 56.08 and Linton also finishing on four faults in 62.99.

“This is meant to be Brian’s growing year, so anything he does is a bonus,” says McNaught-McFarlane of the nine-year-old horse. “Today is definitely the biggest track he has ever jumped – he’s just a big baby with a huge heart. Everything he does it to please you, and you can’t go wrong with a horse like that.”

From his five World Cup starts, Brian has picked up three thirds, a second and a win.

The series final is being hosted on January 10-11 by Showjumping Waitemata at the Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre in Auckland.

This weekend’s North Island Champs, hosted by the Central and Southern Hawke’s Bay Showjumping Group and run over three days, attracted just over 480 entries.